Arranged marriage
by Amberjoe
Summary: Bella and Edward have an arranged marriage but have never met before the wedding. Will sparks fly? Of course. oneshot all human r&r check out my other stories!


"Ugh! I hate it. I just hate it! And I hate _you_!" I yelled at my parents. Again. "Why are you doing this? An arranged marriage? _Why_? Do you think I'm not capable of finding myself a husband?" I saw them cower away from the accusation, from the fury in my eyes, from me. Then it clicked. They had made no attempt to deny it. They thought no one would want me. I would have agreed with them. I was a fat and ugly girl who had an awful temper, was really anti-social and boring, and had a glare that could stop time itself. (Just an expression, not literal) Who would want _me?_

"I suppose it's done now." I said, changing my stance completely. My face was a carefully composed mask but the fire burned in my eyes, igniting the wrath within. It was normal to have an arranged marriage. I just never really thought about how it could affect me. I had never really planned to be married.

They had just broken the news to me. For months my parents had been acting strangely. Trying to get me out of the house as often as possible or stuffing away paper whenever I came near. I dismissed it as planning a surprise party or something of the sort. It never even crossed my mind that they would be organising my _wedding!_ The worst part was that in just two weeks time, I would be a married woman.

I wouldn't even see the groom before it, but I would be meeting the parents, as he had met mine. They were coming. Now.

There was a soft knock on the door and in came a beautiful, motherly looking woman and an extremely handsome blonde man. It was _them_. They had a cup of tea with us and talked wedding arrangements. Apparently the only thing left was the dress. I was surprised at how calm I was after my recent outburst.

Esme (my future mother-in-law) and my mum decided to take me shopping for clothes – lingerie and _The Dress_. I realised that I didn't even know _his_ name yet. I really didn't want to know, I just wanted to throw up. We (being Esme because they are rich, an added bonus) bought me almost see-through white lacy lingerie and the most beautiful wedding dress.

It was strapless with a lacy top. The material was crinkled but went smooth at the waist and flowed outward elegantly. It was stunning and hugged my curves amazingly. The train was very fine silk that seemed to ripple, matching the bottom of the dress. The veil was made of the same material as the train.

"This is the dress!" Mum and Esme exclaimed when they saw me in it. I could see why they were friends. They were really alike! For once I actually agreed with them! This was _The Dress_.

As the day of the wedding drew nearer I became increasingly nervous and irritable. I couldn't sit still and fidgeted in class, doodling my wedding dress and not really concentrating. On the Friday before the wedding I decided to put the wedding to the back of my mind and work really hard in class. Easier said than done. It was only then did I realise that many of my friends were in similar positions to me. We talked it over at lunch but when they asked who I was marrying…I couldn't give them an answer. I just hadn't got round to asking who the mystery man was. I had been too wrapped up in last minute arrangements.

With a day to go before the wedding Esme popped round and planned the make-up. Just something natural to highlight my eyes. She was going to put a light blue tinge on them for my 'something blue' and I was going to wear her old wedding shoes. They were gorgeous! Plain white with a tiny bow in the middle and a slight heel. So I had something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue!

I slept uneasily that night and woke early at 5.30 am. The wedding was at noon. I played _Neopets_ on my computer to calm me down and chatted on MSN to Phoebe who was in exactly the same position as me! At 7.00 I was called down to get ready. I ate a cereal bar to keep mum happy but I wasn't really hungry. I had a bath and fixed my hair. It was short so we didn't have to do anything special to it. They went to the church to make sure everything was perfect and I played Melodia Africana no. 2 to soothe the butterflies in my stomach. It didn't really work.

Esme helped me into _The Dress_ at 10.30. Then she did my make-up and put the veil on me. We had attached it to a white Alice band so it stayed on. I hardly recognised the girl in the mirror. She looked pretty and confident. Not at all how I felt. I slipped on Esme's shoes which had gel pads in to make them more comfortable. I checked the time – 11.55. _Uh oh, time to go._ I was shaking as I got into the car with Mum and Esme. So many thoughts ran through my mind. I shook my head to clear it but my hands wouldn't stop quivering.

I stepped out of the car and was handed a delicate bouquet of hundreds of tiny pink and white flowers. Granny must have been in charge of the flowers, she was a florist back in 1962. I looked down the path to the church entrance – it was lined with the same flowers as the ones in my bouquet. Daddy took my arm and Isobelle, Phyllida and Polly, my cousins walked behind me, as bridesmaids. Their dresses matched the pink flowers they were holding.

Inside the church was filled with pink and white lilies. The sun shone through the stained glass windows as my father walked me up the aisle, giving it an almost magical feel. I caught William's eye (my other cousin) and waved slightly. He gave me a reassuring grin and held up something small and gold. It glinted in the sunlight as he turned it over. Then he held up a slightly larger one. _The Rings._ I hadn't even noticed that the wedding march was playing.

I could see the faces of my friends. Those who weren't at Phoebe's or getting married themselves. I saw Ellen – one of my best friends, on the arm of her husband of a week – Ed Clarke. She had always had a thing for him. I had been to their wedding a week previously, now I was in her place. She smiled at me and gave me a small thumbs up.

'Nice catch!' She mouthed. I still hadn't glanced at my fiancé and as I got to the end of the aisle the butterflies danced furiously in the pit of my stomach. I looked up to see who would be marrying me. Uncle Richard. That's nice. Then I looked up at my future husband. I knew what Ellen meant.

His startling green eyes roamed over my (veiled) face as mine swept his. He had unruly auburn hair that shone bronze in the sun. His nose was straight and angular and his full, lush lips made me want to kiss him. _Woah! Where did _that_ come from?! Hold your horses girl you're not even married to him yet! _He had a toned body and I could just make out the rippled muscles of his chest under the soft material of his shirt. OMG! There was no way he could feel the same way about me, though. The disappointment flooded through me and I couldn't meet his eyes. Uncle Richard started the service and I finally found out his name.

Edward Anthony Masen Cullen. It suited him. Uncle Richard's words flew by in a blur and I repeated the vows obediently. Edward's voice sounded like velvet and I got lost in his eyes. Before I knew it he had slipped a ring on my finger (his hands were so soft!) and I put a ring on _his_ finger. Then came the words-

"You may now kiss the bride." I heard a loud sniff and noses being blown into tissues conspicuously. We ignored it and I pretended that my mother and his mother weren't holding each other and crying their eyes out. Edward lifted up my veil and lowered his face to mine. Our lips hardly brushed but I felt a spark and as he pulled back the look on his face told me he had felt it too. He looked surprised but happy and took my hand, interlinking our fingers as we walked back up the aisle.

I grinned at my family and found myself in a rain of confetti. I laughed as my dress turned multi coloured and brushed off the offending paper. I was pulled into a white limo with 'Just Married' plastered on the back in what looked like lipstick and a ribbon was tied to the bonnet.

I turned to Edward. "Hi."

"Hey." He replied, staring into my eyes.

"So…where are we going on the honeymoon?" I asked, curious.

"Isle Esme. I heard you sail?" his voice… *sigh*

"A topaz, you?" I forced my mind to focus.

"Snap." I smiled at him, he smiled at me.

And just like that we struck up a conversation and I knew instinctively that my parents had chosen well.


End file.
